Bangkok Counselling Service

Information for Parents and Teachers

Adolescence is a time of unavoidable change in multiple aspects of every young person’s life, physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. These changes occurring simultaneously can create stress and require adaptation both from the individual and those around him/ her, including parents, siblings, teachers and peers. This is also a time for new opportunities and choices. Some issues young people struggle with include hormonal changes, identity confusion, mood management, self-esteem, peer relations, sexual health and substance use.

Counselling can help young people address these issues, explore their new sense of identity, acknowledge difficult emotions, and prepare them for new responsibilities and goals. By being able to express their needs and feelings appropriately, young people will develop into competent and confident adults.

The BCS Wellbeing Project supports young people aged 11 - 21 years in 3 ways. Through Individual Wellbeing: 1 to 1 emotional support for young people, through Wellbeing Family Work available to the young person's whole family and Wellbeing Group Work available to schools. Our group work and psycho-educational program explores issues specific to young people's stage of development and is available to schools wanting to provide an inclusive program addressing specific topics relevant to each year group.

Individual Wellbeing Support for Young People

Adolescence is not only a difficult developmental stage for young people, but it may also take its toll on parents and other members of the family. Often viewed as rebellious, young people's need to make choices for themselves can place parents in a difficult position as they seek to balance individual needs and the needs of the family as a whole.

The aim of wellbeing family work is to encourage honest and direct communication between young people and their families. For some, this is a space for their voices to be heard by their parents, for others, it offers parental support and an avenue to express concerns. All members of the immediate family are encouraged to participate, including siblings. Family activities and team building exercises are used to improve communication and encourage the growth of a supportive family dynamic, while also offering the tools to enable families to identify and manage difficult issues themselves when they arise in the future.

If you are a parent or guardian of a young person and would like to meet with one of our young people's counsellors to discuss your worries or concerns or to assess if BCS is best suited to offer the support you are looking for, we are happy to arrange a time with you. It is more productive and beneficial all round if this is arranged before the young person comes to meet his/her counsellor.

To address difficult changes that occur during adolescence, the Wellbeing Project offers Individual Wellbeing: 1 to 1 emotional support with one of our qualified young people's counsellors. We provide a safe and supportive environment for young people to voice their thoughts, feelings and opinions about the chaos that may be within or around them. The objective of this work is to support the young person to develop a greater sense of self and of the world around him/her. Weekly sessions are for 45 - 60 minutes in length and 6 sessions are usually offered to start. The first meeting or Interview Session is an opportunity for the young person to interview the counsellor, to ask any questions he/she would like answered before deciding to work with us. The counsellor will answer any question to the best of his/her ability. After the interview the young person can discuss with you how the meeting with the counsellor was, before deciding to continue.

The initial stage of the work involves building a therapeutic or working alliance between the counsellor and the young person. There may be some resistance from young people if they are not fully aware of the issues that brought them to us. The young person may not see the issues as problematic, and therefore not see the need for support. However, a positive non-judgmental relationship with someone who will genuinely listen and try to understand the concerns and worries the young person has, can be a productive experience and a good model for young people to learn social skills and how to establish and maintain healthy relationships with others. Activities such as games, art work, creative writing and expression are used during sessions to facilitate the young person’s exploration of thoughts, feelings and ideas. Experiments to manage stress and anger such as breathing exercises will help the young person develop a personal tool box of skills and recourses to manage these difficulties.

Any young person who commits to working with us can expect to have developed a greater sense of self and awareness of his/her own needs by the end of the work. He/she will also be able to use the skills and techniques developed in sessions, to communicate his/her needs to parents and teachers as well as engage positively with peers and make responsible decisions. In addition, he/she will view seeking help or support as less threatening and will already be using a model for healthy interpersonal relationships.

Wellbeing Family Work

Adolescence is not only a difficult developmental stage for young people, but it may also take its toll on parents and other members of the family. Often viewed as rebellious, young people's need to make choices for themselves can place parents in a difficult position as they seek to balance individual needs and the needs of the family as a whole.

The aim of wellbeing family work is to encourage honest and direct communication between young people and their families. For some, this is a space for their voices to be heard by their parents, for others, it offers parental support and an avenue to express concerns. All members of the immediate family are encouraged to participate, including siblings. Family activities and team building exercises are used to improve communication and encourage the growth of a supportive family dynamic, while also offering the tools to enable families to identify and manage difficult issues themselves when they arise in the future.

If you are a parent or guardian of a young person and would like to meet with one of our young people's counsellors to discuss your worries or concerns or to assess if BCS is best suited to offer the support you are looking for, we are happy to arrange a time to meet with you. It is more productive and beneficial all round if this is arranged before the young person comes to meet his/her counsellor.

Please email wellbeing@BangkokCounsellingService.com if you or your school would like more information or to arrange a visit to discuss your specific needs.